Inca Ruins

NOTE:  Please check the Cuzco, Peru Photo Album for more pictures.

Miracles of miracles, the sun came out this morning. We were all loaded on the bus by 7:15am and headed out to Saqsayhuaman.  This is an archaeological site that they are continually working on.  The Inca archecture is amazing.  These stones are absolutely huge and perfecty cut. We walked around and took lots of pictures.  Then it was back in bus to go to Q'engo.  Here was a ruin of a great Puma.  The Incas worshipped, the puma, the condor, and the anaconda as well as the sun, moon, stars and earth. Benito lead down to the sacrificial caves where once a year they held their sacrifices.  They sacrificed black llamas and for special occassions, yes you guessed it, they brought out the virgin.  There is a picture of the sacrificial throne.

From the ruins we moved on to the so-called alpaca factory.  Not so much a factory but a store.  Looked around- some folks bought some stuff.  It waa back in the bus and up to our highest altitude 11,600 ft. to visit the giant Jesus Blanco on the hill, who happened to be a ironically enough, a muslim Jesus donated by some Palestinians.  Our next stop was the market.  This is a very colorful place.  Most folks come to here to grab a cheap meal as well as shop.  We learned about fruits, grains, and lots of corn.

It was lunch time by the time we left the market.  Benito took us to a family's house in a middle class neighborhood.  Our hosts were very generous and the food was delicious.  It was a very traditional Peruvian meal.  Purple corn drink, tasted like regular fruit driink.  Quinua soup to start.  Rice, some sort of corn and flour national dish, plus a corn tortilla, and an additional small piece of large kernal white corn. Dessert was even made from the purple corn, Lots of corn cooked lots of ways all very good Christine, our host, brought out the national entree of fried guinea pig.  We all got a good look before she hacked it up into pieces so we could try it. Can't say I got very excited about it.. The families raise their own guinea pigs, and we saw where this family was raising theirs.  All in all, it was an excellent experience.

We were dead tired when we got back to the hotel at 2ish.  But someone suggested the Inca Museum where they have an old mummy exhibit.  So we took a 30 minute recess and met them back down in the lobby.  It was pouring now and a cab was in order.  Got to the museum and the girls hired a guide.  This would have been great but he was explaining each piece of ceramic and every statute, that I just could not stand on my feet any longer.  Geoff and I pulled away from the group and did the museum on our own.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside so that is why I don't have any.  It is too bad because the mummies were amazing.  I can't even describe what they looked like.  The rain stopped and we hobbled back to the hotel.  They sent up some cocoa tea and we are now resting up before dinner.  This will be at a local restaurant tonight - we ordered the alpaca for dinner.  When in Rome!

Next time.... The Mystical Machu Pichu